Burroughs track sends multiple athletes to CIF-SS Preliminaries

The Burroughs track team is sending 22 athletes to CIF and had eight league champions at the DSL Finals Wednesday at Cerro Coso.

Brad KesterDI Sports Editor

RIDGECREST — The Burroughs track team is sending 22 athletes to CIF and had eight league champions at the DSL Finals Wednesday at Cerro Coso.“We had a third of our team make it to CIF,” BHS Coach Jay Kovar said. “That’s pretty good.”GIRLSThe Burros swept the shot put with Rebecca Kandell taking first place with a throw of 33-2, Victoria Rash taking second place with a throw of 31-2 and Jennifer Kandell taking third place with a throw of 30-6.5.The Burros’ throwers also swept the discus. Jennifer Kandell won the event with a throw of 98-4.5, Rebecca Kandell took second with a throw of 97-9.5, while Madison Felix took third with a throw of 96-5.5.All four throwers made it to CIF.“The girls throwers have been consistent all year,” Kovar said. “You never knew who was going to finish in first place, but it just shows that the training that they have been doing is working. They have been confident this season and it showed on Wednesday.“Victoria Rash came out of nowhere to help us this season and she is just a freshman, so we’re excited about her progress this year.”Rachelle Schiller placed third in the 100-meter low hurdles, running a 16.64 and qualifying for CIF. She also qualified in the 300 low hurdles, running a 48.34.“Her time was a school record,” Kovar said. “She now has two school records. One is in the 200 meters and now she has the 300-hurdle record as well. We couldn’t run her in the 200 meters because those races are back-to-back.”Gabby Mills, Meagan Schiller, Arinee Ellison and Rachelle Schiller took second place in the 400-meter relay with a time of 53.21.Ellison, Beverlee Wood, Marissa Morales and Joelle Steichen qualified for CIF in the 1,600-meter relay, finishing in a time of 4:24.35 for third place.Maryah Marcano qualified for CIF by finishing in second place in the 3,200 with a time of 11:47.7 and by finishing third place in the 1,600 with a time of 5:29.25.“Maryah continues to peak and she’s only a sophomore,” BHS distance coach Anthony Barnes said. “Her and (Josh) Boston continue to do great things for us. They always race well.”Wood qualified for CIF in the 800. She ran a 2:29.3 for third place and punched her ticket after the day got off to a rough start.“We thought she was going to get into CIF in the 1,600,” Barnes said. “We thought about dropping her from the 800 all together, but we kept her in that race. After falling just short of qualifying in the 1,600, she was upset and distraught. I told her, ‘OK, you have one more chance in the 800. Make the most of it.’ She did just that. She took third place and it was all because of her mental toughness. Not many people can get back up after a let down like that, and come back stronger.”Steichen came in second in the 400 meters to grab a spot in CIF, running a 1:02.34.“Joelle ran one her best times ever,” Kovar said. “Considering the wind definitely had an effect on the times, it was probably her best effort of the season.”BOYSIn the pole vault, both Anthony Applequist and Isaac Perez punched tickets to CIF. Applequist finished second in clearing 11-3, while Perez took third in clearing 10-9.Perez also qualified in the triple jump with a 41-11.5.“Isaac qualified in three events,” Kovar said. “It may have been his best day ever. He stepped up again for us and had a great day.“For Anthony, it’s been a tough season. He has pulled his hamstring early in the season, then severely sprained his ankle against Silverado in our last DSL meet. It must’ve been hard for him not to be at full strength this year. He went to state in the triple jump last year and he won’t have that chance again this year.”Jackson French, Sam Surratt, Richard Thomas and Perez ran a 44.11 in the 400-meter relay to take second place.Surratt, French, Daniel Prescott and Thomas ran a 3:31.15 for third place in the 1,600-meter relay.Josh Boston won both the 1,600 meters and the 3,200 meters. He won the 1,600 in a time of 4:32.33 to qualify for CIF and won the 3,200 in a time of 9:52.86.“Every team was trying to find a way to beat Boston,” Barnes said. “For him to win both events was one of the best distance doubles the league has ever seen. The last time a Burroughs runner did it was 2004 by Josh Hamilton. He was a senior and Boston is only a junior.” In the 400, Thomas ran a 50.35 for second place, which allowed him to move on to CIF.“Richard ran his best 400 time,” Kovar said. “He is really dedicated to the team and has been one of the most reliable runners we have.”French won the 200 meters with a time of 23.15 to get into CIF as the only runner in the DSL from that race.“It was great to see Jackson win that race,” Kovar said. “He came out in front after the turn. There was a sea of blue around him (Silverado runners), but he had the strength and speed to finish off the race with a win.”Surratt — who qualified in the two relays — also was the only runner to qualify for CIF in the 110 high hurdles. He ran a 16.39, taking first place.Blake Bays took first in the shot put with a mark of 44-0.75, while Kyle Felix tied for first place in the discus with a toss of 131-9.5.Alex Rockwell took second in the discus with a throw of 126-7.5.“We had seven throwers in all make it to CIF,” Kovar said. “I’m glad to see all of our throwers compete at such a high level this season.”The Burroughs athletes that made it to the CIF-SS Prelims will travel to Estancia High School in Costa Mesa on May 11.